Rodeo entertains at fair

It was an exciting evening at the Adams County Fair when cowboys and cowgirls from all over the state competed in the Budweiser Colorado Pro Rodeo Association (CPRA) Rodeo. The event brought in around 2,000 people on Thursday, Aug. 1, to watch men and women duke it out in the United Power Grandstand arena.

The evening featured a variety of events including: bareback, steer wrestling, tie-down roping, break away, saddle bronc riding, mixed team roping, open team roping, barrel racing, bull riding and of course Mutton Bustin for the youngsters.

To add some comedy to the evening was long-time rodeo clown JD Schulze. He’s been clowning around for 14 years now, but started his rodeo career in bull riding. He said even after all of these years he still gets nervous in the arena.

“I’m always scared,” he said. “It’s unpredictable, but a lot of fun.”

This was Schulze’s third year at the Adams County Fair and was just one of 62 stops he’ll make this rodeo season. He travels all over Colorado and also into parts of Wyoming, Nebraska and New Mexico. He said the best part of his job is making people smile.

“It’s so much fun meeting new people along the way,” he said. “I love making the rodeo fun for people.”

For Casey Guerriera, his career in rodeo just started. The 18-year-old from Castle Rock started saddle broc riding just six months ago. He said he got a wild hair and just decided to try it out.

“I’ve been riding horses all my life, so I just decided to try something new,” he said. “It’s pretty much what I expected.”

So far, Guerriera’s been enjoying his time on the rodeo circuit traveling around Colorado. He says he doesn’t get nervous in the shoot, just has a lot of fun at what he’s doing.

“I really like to travel and meet new people, that’s probably the best part,” he said. “I’m always having fun and that’s what it’s all about.”

The CPRA rodeo was just one of three events in the United Power Grandstand arena at the fair over the weekend. Friday night featured the National Sled Pulling Association (NSPA) truck pull followed by the highly popular Demolition Derby Racing Association (DDRA) demolition derby. As in past years, this event brought in a packed house at the arena.